ABC's "Castle" Outdraws NBC's "Smash" at 10pm

Some early info on ABC's Monday, ahead of the regular press release.

Opposite NBC's The Voice and CBS' original Monday schedule, ABC combination of The Bachelor and Castle defeated Fox's original drama lineup (House/Alcatraz) during primetime in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. The Net once again held the #2 position on the night with Women 18-34 and was the 2nd-highest-rated broadcaster with Teens 12-17.

Facing The Voice and CBS' first-run comedy block, ABC's The Bachelor grew its audience from its first hour to second hour, beating out Fox's dramas in head-to-head competition from 8-10 pm by an even wider margin this week of 1.3 million viewers and by 19% in Adults 18-49. The ABC unscripted series earned second in its time slot with its core audience of Women 18-34, beating CBS' comedy block by 15%.

During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's Castle built on its lead-in to draw 10% more viewers than NBC's Voice-fueled Smash. Castle also finished as the #2 drama in the hour with Women 18-34.

· ABC's Castle grew its overall audience week to week and was also up over the same week last year.

Quick Take for Monday, February 13, 2012 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC's "The Bachelor" Tops Fox's Original Dramas By 1.3 Million Viewers and by 19% in Adults 18-49

Growing Week to Week and Year to Year, ABC's "Castle" Outdraws NBC's "Smash" by 10% in Total Viewers

Monday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)

Opposite NBC's "The Voice" and CBS' original Monday schedule, ABC's combination of "The Bachelor" and "Castle" defeated Fox's original drama lineup ("House"/"Alcatraz") during primetime in Total Viewers (8.3 million vs. 6.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.3/6 vs. 2.1/5). The Net once again held the No. 2 position on the night with Women 18-34 and was the 2nd-highest-rated broadcaster with Teens 12-17.

"The Bachelor" (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

Facing "The Voice" and CBS' first-run comedy block, ABC's "The Bachelor" grew its audience from its first hour to its second hour, beating out Fox's dramas in head-to-head competition from 8:00-10:00 p.m. by an even wider margin this week of 1.3 million viewers (8.0 million vs. 6.7 million) and by 19% in Adults 18-49 (2.5/6 vs. 2.1/6). The ABC unscripted series earned second in its time slot with its core audience of Women 18-34, beating CBS' comedy block by 15% (3.1/8 vs. 2.7/7).

"Castle" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's "Castle" built on its lead-in to draw 10% more viewers than NBC's "Voice-"fueled "Smash" (8.9 million vs. 8.1 million). "Castle" also finished as the No. 2 drama in the hour with Women 18-34.

· ABC's "Castle" grew its overall audience week to week and was also up over the same week last year.

A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating comparisons based on the Live + Same Day data stream are distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped up to 43% currently, from 39% at the same point in 2011. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.

Source: The Nielsen Company (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings), 2/13/12.